Basically, I'd like to work there for the reasons Jmbf said (although it's looking like the mainland will be a more viable option for me in my first couple of years at least). Hong Kong has the benefits of:

- It's a safe country, with a low crime rate.
- Good salaries.
- The majority of the population speak some English.
- Good hub to travel to other places in Asia.
- Uncensored internet.

- It's a safe country, with a low crime rate.
- Good salaries.
- The majority of the population speak some English.
- Good hub to travel to other places in Asia.
- Uncensored internet.

Yes, it is safe and low crime. Many an expat I talked to during my time there told me that, one american girl even told me it's far safer than walking about back home at night. Good salaries can be subjective, depends on the job/pay. Uncensored internet if it is your own data plan or internet at home/hotel/guesthouse, library/public govwifi has some filtering of stuff deemed "undesirable"

I don't think that the you can argue that the salaries aren't good. As a NET you will struggle to earn less than USD 35K / year even in the lowest paid positions. And most teachers will earn much more. Compared with ESL jobs around that world that stacks up pretty well.

What you could effectively argue is that the cost of living is ALSO high and therefore your net savings might not be as much as elsewhere. You could also make a good case that overall working conditions and work / life balance can be poor (especially in the entry-level positions).

Basically, I'd like to work there for the reasons Jmbf said (although it's looking like the mainland will be a more viable option for me in my first couple of years at least). Hong Kong has the benefits of:

- It's a safe country, with a low crime rate.
- Good salaries.
- The majority of the population speak some English.
- Good hub to travel to other places in Asia.
- Uncensored internet.

Basically, I'd like to work there for the reasons Jmbf said (although it's looking like the mainland will be a more viable option for me in my first couple of years at least). Hong Kong has the benefits of:

- It's a safe country, with a low crime rate.
- Good salaries.
- The majority of the population speak some English.
- Good hub to travel to other places in Asia.
- Uncensored internet.

I also know of people who went from being an AT at the EDB (same as the NET scheme salary) to working at one of the top Unis here, can't imagine he agreed to do that for a massive pay cut so there is another option.

@Kowloon. Absolutely, I didn't intend for my list to be a completely comprehensive one. I'm sure there are other routes available as well.

@Spelunker. Quite a wide-ranging and complicated issue here actually. First off, I take 'freelancer' to mean anyone who earns money in the educational industry but outside standard teaching roles in centres / schools / universities. This can include a very wide range of work, including but not exclusive to:

Due to the diverse nature of the industry, freelancer positions are filled by a wide range of individuals with different skill sets, qualifications and experience.

As for the setup side of things, in general you would need the right to work freely in Hong Kong. This can be obtained in several different ways. (I'm ignoring those who freelance here illegally, although this is also a significant group)

Overseas Chinese returning to HK (they often retain the right to work here freely)
Those on dependent visas (i.e. those married to locals)
Those who have gained permanent residency (i.e. having lived here continuously for 7 years)
Those on investment visas (relatively rare but there are some)

So as you can see freelancing is not just limited to a small subset of teachers. The freelancers that I know here comprise a very diverse set of people who are hard to categorise into a single homogenous group.

I was referring to these two, and I did the first one. It was enough for me to eke by through a difficult time (busted china visa run, and little money left) not sure I'd want to do it again though!

Fair enough, I'm sorry to hear about your difficult experience. This goes to show that there are a wide range of situations that freelancers find themselves in.

In general I've found that the perception of freelancers is predominately negative. Perhaps that is because of the image of the 'backpacking TEFLer' has become a common stereotype. The often entry-level pay, the sometimes transitory nature of the work, the distain 'proper' teachers have for TEFLers all contribute towards this perception. However, since entering this industry I've found that there are more and more 'high performers' scattered around. Those that have found a niche and put in the work to develop themselves, their reputation and their skill set. From talking with several I've come to the conclusion that the key difference between these 'high performers' and others is mostly down to MINDSET.

I've certainly done fairly well myself (at this stage even a senior EDB NET scheme position or intl school position would be a downgrade for me), but I can recognise that there is still a lot more to learn and a lot of things that I can do better. Moreover, I've realised there is still a lot of untapped potential in this industry, just waiting for teachers to tap into and take advantage of.

To conclude, don't underestimate what's possible in this industry if you have the right mindset and attitude.